Miss de Lisle was many shades deeper in hue. She accepted their
greetings without enthusiasm, and plunged at once into a catalogue of
grievances.

"The butler tells me there is no kitchenmaid," she boomed wrathfully.
"And I had not expected such an antiquated range. Nor could I
possibly manage with these saucepans"--sweeping a scornful hand
towards an array which seemed to the hapless Lintons to err only on
the side of magnificence. "There will be a number of necessary items.
And where am I to sit? You will hardly expect me to herd with the
servants."

"It would be rough on them!" rose to Norah's lips. But she prudently
kept the reflection to herself.

"To sit?" echoed Mr. Linton. "Why, I really hadn't thought of it."
His brow cleared. "Oh--there is the housekeeper's room."

"And who is the housekeeper? Is she a lady?"

"She hasn't said so, yet," said Mr. Linton. It was evident that he
considered this a point in the absent housekeeper's favour. Miss de
Lisle flamed anew.

"I cannot sit with your housekeeper," she averred. "You must
remember, Mr. Linton, that I told you when engaging with you, that I
expected special treatment."

"And _you_ must remember," said Mr. Linton, with sudden firmness,
"that we ourselves have not been half an hour in the house, and that
we must have time to make arrangements. As for what you require, we
will see into that later."

Miss de Lisle sniffed.

"It's not what I am accustomed to," she said. "However, I will wait.
And the kitchenmaid?"

"I can't make a kitchenmaid out of nothing," said Mr. Linton gloomily.
"I hope to hear of one in a day or two; I have written to Ireland."

"To Ireland!" ejaculated Miss de Lisle in accents of horror. "My dear
sir, do you know what Irish maids are like?"

"They're the nicest maids I know," said Norah, speaking for the first
time. "And so kind and obliging."

"H'm," sniffed the cook-lady. "But you are not sure of obtaining even
one of these treasures?"

"Well, we'll all help," said Norah. "Sarah will give you a hand until
we get settled, and my brother and Mr. Meadows and I can do anything.
There can't be such an awful lot of work!" She stopped. Miss de
Lisle was regarding her with an eye in which horror and amazement were
mingled.

"But we don't _do_ such things in England!" she gasped. "Your
brother! And the other officer! In my kitchen, may I ask?"

"Well, one moment you seem afraid of too much work, and the